The Colors Arise
by Nosuchthingashappilyeverafter
Summary: Bella becomes pregnant following an event with Edward on her birthday.What happens when she leaves them in another coven's care and goes to find her lost love? Will they forgive her?And why is Aro showing up on their doorstep? R&R! *For BFFE Breanna!*
1. Prolouge

**A/N: Okay, well, I'm sure it's obvious to everyone here that this is a story. But the point is, my best friend moved away (D:) and I had two weeks to write a fifty page story. Mmhmm, so I realize it's rushed, and I had too many events to do too much introduction junk. So number one, I've been told by people outside my friendship circle that the characters are hard to follow in the start if you aren't my friends. Kay?**

**Number two, they say things that are what my friends and I would say. So their banter is like ours. Therefore, another hard element to follow for someone who doesn't know our group. The only reason I'm even DOING this is that Bre and random people from Notes Galore instructed me to. Okay?**

**Thirdly, this is placed after Eclipse, before Breaking dawn. And Em, Saph and Opal are based on me and my friends. (Em= Bre, Saph= Bethany (Chicken Wing for Notes Galore readers, Opal= me) **

**Kay? Read now please xD**

I could just barley see the outline of him in the darkness. He lay on his side, watching me with those beautiful eyes of his.

"Go to sleep, love. Tomorrow your birthday will be over, and you'll be happy again." He smirked, stroking my hair.

"But I haven't gotten anything from you." I turned my head to kiss his wrist. "And you always get me something." He sighed, pulling me closer.

"Would you please make up your mind about that, love? You know I hate being caught empty handed." I examined his face, watching carefully for a reaction.

"You aren't..." I kissed his wrist again, pointedly.

"Love, not tonight. You're tired...let's not argue." I wasn't about to let him get off that easy. I traced the panes of his chest, sliding my hands under his shirt.

"But...it's my birthday. I deserve a little something...special..." I kissed his chest quickly before he pushed me away.

"Bella. No." I sighed, getting up. "Where are you going, exactly?" He asked.

"To go find Jacob. Someone who will give me a birthday present." Edward groaned, and suddenly he was in front of me, and my arms were pressed against my sides.

"Fine. Happy Birthday." He leaned down, and met my lips for a second. "Now, sleep." I glared up at him.

"Jacob would-" He cut me off with a growl. "Please?" He looked down at me, exasperated.

"You really want this, don't you?" I nodded, staring up at his eyes. He looked away for a second. "Charlie?"

"Away fishing with Billy for the weekend..." I murmured. He answered by meeting his lips with mine again.

_One week later..._

Lifting my head from the toilet, I picked up the note I had all but memorized. Tears spilled down my cheeks, hitting the linoleum with a sickening splash, and I wiped the remains of vomit from my lips.

Bella,

I had a vision. I'm so sorry... you're pregnant. The vision...it was three beautiful little girls. You're going to have triplets, Bella. But Edward...he left last night. I think Carlisle said something to him.

In the vision, I was there. I think it means...that I'll have to go away, but I will return. That was the feeling I was getting. Bella, you're a sister to me. I know that I'll come back, but Edward...he loves you Bella. Trust me, he won't stay away. Wait two years. I'll find you. And we'll find Edward.

Raise them, love them, care for them. I'll be waiting. Trust me on this one, we're doing it right. This is what our future holds.

Alice

She said she would come back. But what if Edward didn't? Before, the possibility of losing him would have torn me to pieces. But today, I realized I had a part of him within me, literally. I had his children, his legacy. Maybe this time the fragile human could move on, and find him. Rescue _him_ this time. But for now, I had to get the hell out of this town, before Aro came after me. I stood up. I would decide my own fate!

I felt the rush of heat and dropped back to my knees, leaning over the toilet as I retched. Okay, so maybe I'd decide my own fate tomorrow...

_Two years later..._

Kissing each girl's head, I lay them down to sleep.

"Sapphire..." I watched as her blue eyes drifted closed before moving to the next crib

"Opal..." Her violet eyes stayed open, questioning. She was much too intelligent, smarter than her sisters. I couldn't seem to meet her eyes.

"And Emerald." Em would be the hardest to leave. Her green eyes were already closed. She was so frail...so weak. Almost human. I turned to the face I had anticipated for two years.

"They'll be okay. I ran into Jasmine's coven. They'll take care of them. We'll find them again." I nodded, looking back toward my girls. I wasn't sure how willing I was to bet their lives on Alice.

She began tugging me toward the door. As a vampire, I was able to resist for a moment. "C'mon. I can't see anything around them! You're lucky I saw you." I paused, meeting Opal's accusing eyes.

"Bella..." Alice saw Opal too, sighing. "They'll forgive you." I nodded, turning, leaving my babies behind.

Possibly forever.


	2. The Messanger

The girls got up, one after another. As always, Sapphire was the first to rise, followed by Emerald, and finally, me, Opal. Of course, I'd been awake for much longer, Saph just didn't relish the feeling of the satin against her skin as Em and I did. She was...differant. Not that any of us were the same. We were identical, but opposite.

Sapphire had baby blue eyes, metallic, bronze tinted blonde hair, and pale, pale skin. She was the most vampiric of us all. She was fastest, strongest. Her skin was rock. She controlled every element, and was a mother figure to us.

Emerald had deep green eyes, and golden hair. Her skin was creamy, human. She was defiantly most human. Weakest, slowest. She slept and ate, where Saph and I could live without. Blood disgusted her. She was the weak link, and yet she kept us together. She was a shield, with the power of protection.

I was in the middle. I had violet eyes, almost-white blonde hair. My skin had a glow that Saph didn't have, but it was pale and hard. I was the middle. I gave us sisters a telekinetic link. I was also psycho kinetic and hypnotic. I was by far the most powerful.

Em ate the eggs Saph had prepared, and I took a slice of toast. I was going hunting with Jason today.

Jason was my boyfriend. He was a member of a coven that had found and cared for us- it was him, Saph's boyfriend Benjamin, and Jasmine, their sister. Emerald didn't have a boyfriend. Our literal age was about four, though our mental and physical age was closer to sixteen.

"Opal? Hello?" My head snapped up, and I saw Jason standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. I marveled for a second the wind and sunshine tousling his long blond hair. My gaze slid across his perfect, vampiric features. His eyes were, of course, black.

"Sorry, narrating my life in my head again." He laughed, taking my hand.

"C'mon crazy." I stood, brushing crumbs from my lap. We left the house, and I felt the wind on my skin that had been tousling his hair. Using my power, I adjusted his hair, pushing a long blond lock over his eye. He laughed, brushing it away.

"No powers!" He had the same power as I did, and he mussed my hair.

"Mmm...smell that? Mountain lion!" I took off, rushing toward the scent.

_**Always a sucker for mountain lion...**_ Jason thought, following after me.

_Well, mountain lions, and you..._I heard him laugh aloud as he matched my pace. I thrilled at the wind in my hair and the ground below my feet as we ran together.

Suddenly, we stumbled into a bright clearing, where the scent was coming from. To our shock, we saw another vampire leaning over the lion, drinking his fill. Jason placed a hand on my arm, warning me to stay still.

"Hello?" He called, and the visitor stood, grinning.

"Don't worry, I come in peace." He held out his hands in a peace gesture, still smirking. "I take it you're Opal Jem?" I took a step forward, clenching my fist.

"What's it to you?" I snapped. Something about this guy made me angry. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he had just devoured my breakfast.

_**Opal, we'll find another one.**_ Jason thought to me. I sighed, nodding. The visitor laughed, oblivious.

"Well, considering I'm here to save your life, I'm sure you'd like to hear me out." Suddenly he was in the air as I levitated him and began running back to our house. Jason laughed.

"Lovely, you learned to control your powers! Just a tip, don't try to hypnotize me or read my mind. I'm immune." I glanced up at him. How did he know that? We arrived quickly back to the house, suprising Em and Saph who were playing chess.

I watched Em's face light up, and her thoughts turned to the visitors appearance.

_Holy crackers, crush much??_ I thought to Jason, as I threw the visitor violently to the ground.

"He knows of our powers...so we're going to hear him out, and he's going to hope we don't kill him." I commanded. The visitor stood, brushing his clothes off.

"Hello, Sapphire, Emerald. Lovely to meet you." He smiled at Em.

_Oh god._ I groaned mentally.

"Hello...?" Saph, the most welcoming of us, smiled.

"Noah, call me Noah." He smiled broadly. "I'm an exiled member of the Volturi, and I'm here to warn you of Aro's plans." Jason inhaled sharply, stepping forward.

"What would the Volturi want with them?" He asked, his mind a blur of hate and anger.

"Whoa, hold up. Who are the Volturi?" I asked aloud for the benefit of my sisters.

"Royalty of vampires. A giant, power starved coven who will kill to remain at the top. Cross them and you're as good as dead."

"Yes, and right now you're the top of their to do list." Noah sighed, turning to Jason. "They want the Jem's powers."

Sapphire's POV

Jason growled at Noah. He was as overprotective as Benjamin.

"Why the hell would they want the Jem's powers??" I carefully twined vines around his feet to prevent him from moving to kill the poor guy.

"Because I've been sensing their powers in Italy for god's sake. You should know better than to let them run wild, you of all people." Jason tried to take a threatening step forward, but my vines caught him.

"What the hell Sapphire!" He grumbled, glaring at the visitor. "Noah, I swear to god, I will rip your teeth-" The door banged open and Benjamin appeared in all his usual glory. His shaggy blond hair swirling in the wind, his golden eyes glowing. Benje and Jason could have been twins.

"Hello, Jase, Em, Opal, Saph...random person..." Benje paused only for a second before moving to me. Noah had moved, fists clenching the back of my chair. Benje narrowed his eyes.

"Why the hell am I feeling love soaking the room and a blast from the past with my girlfriend?" Benje was an empath.

"Relax, Ben." Noah laughed.

"Benje." Benje crossed his arms, not amused at all.

"Hands off. I promise." Noah moved from behind my chair, talking as if Benje hadn't interrupted.

"Yeah, like I believe that." Benje grumbled, sitting beside me.

"Are there going to be any more interruptions?" Noah asked, looking at Em. "Do you have someone coming too?" Em blushed and shook her head, always the shy one.

"Oooooh, I get it!" Benje muttered. I slapped him on the arm.

"You're an idiot." I sighed, turning back to Noah.

"Hold on!" Opal shouted, eyes blazing the way they did when she was angry. "You know him??" Jason adverted his eyes. "Lift the mental block _NOW_!"

"Okay, okay. So I served a few years in the Volturi. Big deal..." I sighed. Not telling Opal something immediately was an idiotic move. Now she'd be mad as hell at the poor guy. I poked Benje, and calming waves filled the room.

"Well, family drama aside, we need to figure out what to do next." Opal's gaze snapped back to him.

"We? When did you become a part of this? You've warned us of our doom now. Good puppy. Go back to your owner." I sighed. Opal was much to volatile for her own good. She turned to me, glaring.

"I heard that." I laughed, shaking my head.

"I think dear Noah should have a choice whether he stays or not. Of course, we could always vote." Opal glanced at Em.

"Whatever." She grumbled, kicking the vines away with her mind and pulling Jason onto the couch with her.

"We should find your mother." Jasmine swept in, a bright red kimono flowing around her. "Alice told me if disaster was to befall you, I was to find her." Jasmine was eccentric. Long black hair, always wearing something new and different. She told me she picked up the habit in the Cullen house.

"Oh. It's you." Jasmine glanced in Noah's direction before turning to us. Noah sighed.

"Hello to you too, Jasmine." He murmured, turning back to us. "She's right. The Cullens will know how to deal with the Volturi." He nodded to himself.

"Shall we vote?" She spun to send the kimono swirling around her legs.

"I vote never in a million years!" Opal cried, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No." Jason shrugged, knowing Opal would kill him if he voted any different.

"Yes." Noah voted, glancing at Opal. He was afraid of her. That was an excellent development.

"Yes." Jasmine smiled serenely at Opal, a message to calm herself.

"No." Benje voted, glancing at Noah.

"Yes!" I sighed. It was a tie. Em was the only person who hadn't voted, but she never voted. She wasn't that kind of person. She didn't make choices. Sometimes it made things hard.

"Yes." It was a quiet whisper, but all heads snapped in her direction.

"What?" Opal shouted, disbelieving.

"You mean pardon, dear." Jasmine trilled.

"Yes. I think... I think we need to find someone who knows what we're dealing with." My glance slid to where Jason had a hold on Opal's arm and was talking to her telepathically.

"Opal, calm down please." Jasmine sighed, twirling her kimono around her again. "It's been decided. Everybody, be packed and ready to leave at sunset. Traveling lightly is key." She twirled again, prancing down the hall toward her room. I stood.

"Okay. Em, you're going to have to hunt up a sleeping bag. Don't bother with food, you can deal with blood. Opal, don't over pack please. You'll just end up pawning your bag off on Jason. Benje, come help me please." Turning, I scooted down the stairs to my bedroom.

Opal's POV

_**Opal. Relax.**_ Jason thought to me as I glared at Em. Of course she chooses now to grow a damn backbone. They all hated me.

_**No one hates you.**_ Jason sighed mentally.

_Fuck you._ I got up, pushing past Noah, toward the stairs, My room was on the top floor. It was large and open, shaped like a hexagon. The walls were royal blue, the carpet thick and silver. My bed was silver, as was my couch. There was a skylight in the middle of my ceiling. I stomped straight to my bed, flopping down onto it.

_**Opal.**_ Jason followed me, sitting beside me on the bed. _**Sorry, but they just want to keep you safe.**_ His hand found mind, and I sighed.

"I know." I said aloud. I was getting a headache. "I just hate her so much for leaving us. For leaving Em." Jason looked at me, and I felt like he was staring right into my soul.

"For leaving you." Perceptive.

"For leaving me. But now... they want to forgive her? Just like that? They just voted to give up, Jase. To go to her with our tail between our legs because we can't solve our own problems. I can't deal with it. It's stupid. It's wrong." His hand found mine, and I sighed deeply.

"We have to go to the Cullens. Otherwise we won't get through this. You don't understand. This is literally life or death. The Volturi aren't a joke."

"I get that. Doom, gloom. Yeah, yeah." He shook his head, kissing my arm.

"I'm just trying to convince you that this is a good decision." I shrugged, snuggling closer to him. "What can I do to make you feel better? Do you need something?" I grinned at him.

"I never did get that breakfast." I murmured. "Wanna find something?"

"Mountain lion?" He offered, already standing.

"That would be lovely." I stood, and we left through the window.

Em's POV

Noah watched me and I blushed deeper. What was wrong with me today? Saph and Benje had come back from packing, and were talking quietly together, effectively leaving me with this whirlwind of a man.

"So, I've seen your sisters powers. What about yours?" He asked, trying to start a conversation.

"I'm nothing special." I averted my eyes. I was just a shield. I couldn't go around smiting people with my brain like Opal did, or tying people up with vines like Saph. I was average.

"I beg to differ." He moved a chair closer, sitting beside me. "You're unique. Cute, too." Benje looked over Saph's shoulder.

"Ignore him Em. He'll play you like a piano if he gets half the chance." Saph whacked him in the shoulder.

"Oh, don't ruin her fun." She grumbled. I blushed.

"Sorry, he's a little overbearing." I shrugged and Noah nodded.

"I gathered that in my years dealing with him." I nodded, and there was another awkward silence. Why couldn't I do this? Talking to a guy shouldn't be that hard.

"Um, well, I think I should go pack..." I stood, knocking into the table. I was such a klutz.

"I'll help." Noah smiled broadly. I blanched. A boy? In my room? Thoroughly without a backbone, I smiled and nodded. He followed me through the kitchen, into my room.

My room was bland. Simple forest green walls, white trim, hardwood floors. A simple bed with a green comforter. Reaching under my bed, I pulled out a green backpack.

"So...you've got a green theme going on here, eh?" Noah looked around.

"Um, well, it's kinda my power-color. Dunno why. When I send out a shield it's green. My eyes are green. Saph is blue and Opal's purple." He nodded, thinking.

"I see. How interesting. Uh, why don't we start packing?" I nodded. This was awkward.

Noah's POV

The poor girl was clueless. Cute, but clueless. I briefly entertained the idea of ignoring her, but I couldn't. I had always been one for a challenge, and Emerald was certainly presenting one. Not to mention leaving her alone was not in my job description.

"So, do you know anything about your parents?" I asked, even though I knew the answer very well. I had studied these girls inside and out. I knew them better than they knew themselves.

"No. We never met my father, and my mother left when we were young." She continued shuffling through her drawers, stuffing things into the bag. She glanced up at me.

"You... you can go if you want. I'm not really that interesting." I marveled at the way she could blush. Actual blood ran through her system, instead of the venom that plagued mine. It intrigued me.

"I beg to differ. Why do you blush like that, when your sister cannot?" She blushed deeper, returning to packing her clothes.

"Well... we think it's because Saph is the oldest- by three minutes. She's the most like a vampire. Then Opal's in the middle, and I'm youngest by almost ten minutes, and most human." She shrugged. "We've just kinda accepted it."

I realized that there were things I didn't know about them, little details I could gather to complete my mission.

"Okay, meeting!" Jasmine called from the living room. That girl was sexy, but Em had a certain innocent charm that caught my attention.

Em's POV

I thanked my lucky stars for Jasmine's timing, and scurried out.

Jasmine was standing in the middle of the living room, glancing up the stairs. Saph and Benje were on the couch, Saph leaning into his shoulder. He was whispering into her ear, and she giggled. I felt tears welling up, and I blinked them away. Why couldn't I have that? But then I felt guilty for being jealous. I slipped to the opposite end of the room, turning my gaze back to Jasmine.

"Who's seen Opal?" She asked, her eyes sliding back to Noah. What was with those two?

"Saw her and Jason hop out the window." Benje offered, and Jasmine nodded.

"Fine, fine. We can start without her." The door banged open as if on que.

"Start without me? Not a chance." Opal pranced into the room, pulling Jason along. His eyes were back to gold, meaning they had a nice meal.

"Okay, perfect. Sit down,_ vite vite_." Jasmine looked worried, an odd look for her.

"What's wrong?" Opal asked, catching the mood immediately.

"Well...I've sensed something." Opal met my gaze, her eyes hardening. Jasmine had the ability to sense danger. She couldn't tell what it was or where it was coming from mind you, simply that something was wrong.

"Well? Spit it out!" Opal insisted, taking a seat on Jason's lap, who had sat beside Saph and Benje.

"I think... I think we can't wait until sunset. We leave at noon." She declared, back to being Jasmine as she glided out of the room.


	3. Meet The Family

Opal's POV

We ran, deciding not to bring our cars. They were too easy to track. Under Noah's advisory, we split up. Jason and I were a team, as was Saph Benje and Jasmine, leaving Em and Noah alone. Poor girl couldn't flirt to save her life...and after what happened with Kade I couldn't blame her.

_**Can we please focus on the here and now?**_ Jason pleaded mentally. I glanced his way for a moment, and was overcome with guilt. Today was supposed to be about us- and I was making it about Em. Sighing, I took his hand as we ran.

_I'm sorry. Here and now. You and me._ He smiled. The smile dropped as he collided with stone.

Saph's POV

I kept my eyes open, moving trees with my power to make our journey silent. I felt an impending feeling of doom, but of course, that might be just me. I felt Benje's hand slide into mine.

"My dear, please relax." He murmured.

"I'm trying." I sighed, as Jasmine dropped slightly behind to give us some privacy. "But this is going to change our lives. What if we do find our mom? Our dad even?" I shook my head, wishing I could cry like Em and Opal could.

"Your parents are hardly something to be afraid of." Benje grinned.

"But what if-" My sentence was cut off as Benje collapsed and Jasmine shrieked.

Em's POV

I was the slowest of my sisters. I could hardly pull off running what other vampires could do walking. Which all just succeeded in embarrassing me further when Noah willingly slowed his pace to match mine.

"Why are you waiting for me? I'd understand if you went ahead." I watched the ground as I spoke. If I was to trip now, there would be no recovering.

"Emerald, my dear, I'm a fairly patient person." He grinned, as if he knew something I didn't. "I can wait forever if I have to." I glanced at him.

"Forever is longer than it seems." I murmured, looking back at the ground.

"Maybe not-" He made a little choking sound as he suddenly dropped to his knees.

Bella's POV

I slapped Kade upside the head.

"Let them go you idiot!" I shouted, and he unlocked the invisible doors, allowing my daughters and Jasmine's coven to move. Jasmine was the first to recover, gliding straight to Alice.

"Bonjour mon ami. How are you?" She asked pleasantly, completely oblivious to the silence around us.

"Delightful as always my dear." Alice smiled, her gaze moving to my daughters. "Ah, hello again Benjamin, Jason. I trust you've been well?" The girls were helping them to their feet.

"Fine, Alice." Jason sighed. I moved my gaze across my children.

Opal was everything I imagined she'd be-her gaze was confident, independent. Her arm was wrapped around Jason's waist-his arm over her shoulders. Her purple eyes gleamed in the shade of the trees.

Sapphire was smiling, her blue eyes almost glowing. Benje kissed her shoulder, whispering caution in her ear.

And last, the one face I had been frightened to see. Emerald's eyes were veiled, as if she didn't want the world to know what she was thinking. She stared at a face I didn't recognize, another male. He got to his feet slowly, his eyes not leaving hers.

"Lovely." Alice chirped. "Hello, Opal, Sapphire, Emerald." She grinned. "I'm Alice."

"Nice to meet you." Sapphire smiled, receiving a glare from Opal.

"Oh Alice my dear, where's the rest of the family? I'm sure the girls would be ecstatic to meet the Cullens!"

Opal's POV

The last thing I was was ecstatic. I glared at the girl who called herself our mom in her mind. She wasn't my mother-she couldn't be. She looked so weak, so frail. Even for a vampire. I wanted to snap her like a twig. Of course Jason's grip tightened on my shoulder. She thought it was a gesture of love. I knew it was a warning not to rip her to shreds.

"They should be arriving soon. I saw you approaching...well, I saw a rush of blank coming." She laughed, as if this was the funniest joke in the world, and my mind filled with hate. Jasmine nodded, smiling again. I heard the faintest whoosh of the wind, and knew the Cullens were here.

The first one to arrive by my "mother"'s side was a large, bulky vampire with dark, curly hair.

"Emmett" Alice nodded. Beside him a beautiful blonde vampire came up, linking her arm with Emmett. "Rosalie." Next a tall, blond male arrived, placing a hand on Alice's shoulder.

"Jasper." Jasmine continued the introductions. After Jasper, another blond male, this one older, ran up, arm in arm with a vampire with curly brown hair. "Carlisle and Esme." Jasmine smiled. After that, there was silence.

"Where's the final Cullen?" Jasmine inquired, and Alice and Bella exchanged glances.

Another tall male arrived, standing almost awkwardly beside Bella. He had bronze-ish hair, almost the same shade as Saph's. His eyes skimmed us, and I knew him for what he was- our father.

"Edward." Jasmine murmured, glancing at Saph. Saph hated our father for making our mother leave. I hated our mother for leaving us orphaned- I had few issues with Edward. Poor Em was caught in the middle, with no idea who to hate or who to blame. At this point she was partly behind Noah, hiding from Kade.

"I see there's been many additions to your coven." Jasmine said to Carlisle, who glanced at Kade and Bella.

"Yes, we have grown in the past little while. Shall we talk at the house?"

"That would be excellent, Carlisle dear." Jasmine gestured for us to follow the Cullens, and we took off.

_**Opal, I know you're mad, but you have to keep your cool.**_ Jason warned mentally as we ran. _**The Cullens are terribly powerful. They don't like to fight, so please don't give them a reason to!**_

I glared in his direction, choosing to ignore it.

Looming in the distance was a mansion. It was huge, backing against a hill.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Jasmine murmured to us. I snorted.

"Whatever." She shot me a look that basically said 'Behave yourself'.

"So here we are." Carlisle announced as we stopped in front of the house. "Shall we talk inside?" Jasmine smiled, nodding. What a farce...

  
Em's POV

Great. I felt not only Noah's gaze on my back as I entered the Cullen house, but Kade's too. I shoved him to the back of my mind. I had bigger things to deal with.

I didn't know what to think. Was my mom to blame? My dad? Me? I didn't understand Opal's hatred, or Saph's openness.

"It's not your fault..." A voice said from behind me. I turned to meet my father face to face. He must be a telepath as Opal was.

"It's not your fault." He repeated. "It's never your fault, or Bella's fault." Opal stepped between us.

"Leave my sisters alone. You have no business in our minds." We stood in the living room. The rest of the Cullens were talking with Jasmine, realizing this wasn't the time for further introductions.

I just shook my head. Of course it would be Opal who would stand against the man we'd known for all of five minutes.

"I know I have no business here." Edward sighed, eyes focused on Opal. "But I'm your father. I'm not going to force you to accept me. But I can ask." Opal snorted.

"Request denied." She glared, and Edward sighed, his face deeply saddened.

"I knew that would happen, and yet I-" Opal stuck a hand in his face.

"Not interested in the guilt trip." I bit my lip. Opal wouldn't hesitate to make his head explode, literally.

"Opal, please." Jason pulled her backwards, but she kept her gaze focused on Edward.

"I wasn't trying to guilt you." He argued, raising a brow, and Opal snorted again.

"Maybe my mother was that weak, but I'm not, and you sure as hell better realize that." She turned, stomping out of the room, Jason rushing after her. Rosalie left too, murmuring that she was to show her to her room.

I glanced at the family, who continued to pretend they weren't really listening. Kade stood in the middle of them, not even pretending anymore, just full out staring at me. His gaze sent a shiver down my spine.

Noah's POV

I placed an arm around Em's shoulder as she shuddered. I glared at the boy across the room. He looked young, maybe fourteen or fifteen. His hair was short and brown, with murky brown eyes, a sign of a recently changed diet. For some reason I felt like punching him in the face. And _that_ certainly wasn't in my job description.

"Play along." I murmured so low she could barley hear it, let alone him. She looked at me, and I smiled.

"Emerald here is very tired." I smiled slyly directly at Kade, making sure he took my comment the right way. "Is there someplace _we_ could... retire for the night?" I asked Carlisle, stressing the we, and he nodded. I swept a kiss to Em's cheek, and I felt her try not to stiffen.

"Of course, Noah. Always." Carlisle gestured to Jasper, who got up, leading us out of the living room and up a few sets of stairs.

"So, Noah. Taking a vacation? Or are you on a mission?" Jasper inquired as we climbed.

"I'm on a lengthily hiatus." I smiled, dropping my arm from Em's shoulders.

"Ah, I see." Jasper glanced at Em and I, tasting the emotional atmosphere. I glanced at Em, watching her watch her step.

"You know how it is." I meant more than just a hiatus.

"Indeed...I know very well." Suddenly he stopped, propping a door open. "Have fun tonight then." His stare was burning as I stepped into the room. The walls were deep crimson, with clean white trim and hardwood floors, almost exactly like Em's room back home, except for the wall color.

"What the heck was that about?" She spun. How adorable, she wouldn't even swear.

"I got a bad feeling about that idiot glaring at you down there. I did something about it." I smiled, feigning confidence.

"Well that idiot is Kade, my...ex." She looked suddenly scared, nervously watching me as if I would slap her or something equally ridiculous.

"You have an ex?" I asked, disbelieving. She just didn't seem like the type who dated. She nodded, exasperated now.

"Not the point, Noah." She sat on the bed, looking up at me. "Just so you know, I actually do need to sleep, and I am really tired." I sighed.

"I just suggested we were going to spend the night together. I can't leave now." I sat beside her, and she squirmed away.

"Go sit on the floor or something. My bed." She scooted up, sliding under the covers.

"It isn't even dinnertime, sweetness." I laughed as she wrinkled her nose. "Ah, yes, I forgot. You eat on a humans time schedule, don't you? Very well, I'll fetch you something." I slid out the door, running to the kitchen. I'd been here so many times before it felt like home. There was where my luck ran out- Esme was preparing something as Opal sat on the counter, her hand in a bowl of mixed nuts.

"Ha, I knew you'd be caught." Opal grinned, popping a nut into her mouth. "Em's fairly consistent, I knew she'd have to eat soon." Apparently all her anger issues were gone.

"So I made her this." Esme smiled, handing me a tray with a plate of alfredo noodles on it.

"Yup, Em's favorite." I nodded, smiling.

"Thanks ladies." Opal slid off the counter.

"Why don't I help you with that?" She asked, taking a handful of napkins from Esme and leaving the room. I sighed, following her. She was waiting in the hall for me.

"I know what you're doing." She narrowed her eyes at me. "If you break my sister's heart, I break you. Understood?" I took a step back.

"Who said I was after her heart?" I asked before turning to climb up the stairs. I gave myself a mental slap for the stupidity of the comeback.

I opened our door with my shoulder, and saw her reading on the bed, a book called '_Vampire Academy_'.

"Soup's on." I murmured, and her head snapped up.

"Alfredo!" She grinned, taking the plate. "Thanks." I nodded, watching as she took a bite. "Jasper brought you a chair." She nodded to the corner, where a comfortable looking recliner now sat. I sighed, making a mental note to punch him in the face. I then sat. There was silence as she ate, a very uncomfortable one. When she finished, she pushed the plate to the side, looking at me, and the silence deepened.

"That was yummy." She smiled.

"Don't thank me, thank Esme." I grinned back, before silence fell again.

"Well...um, what are we going to do all evening, now that you've suggested we'll be in our room all night?" She asked, glancing at her small bag.

"What do you think?" I winked at her, and she wrinkled her nose.

"Grow up." I laughed, getting up to rifle through her bag.

"I'm already older than you, honey. How old are you again? Four?" I shot her a sly grin as I pulled out a deck of cards.

"Sixteen." She insisted, annoyed. "Four years to every year. Like a leap year baby."

"Can you play?" I asked, ignoring her. She sighed heavily, taking the cards from my hand.

"Of course I play. What game?" She began shuffling, and I raised one eyebrow.

"Strip poker?" I sat across from her, and she rolled her eyes, dealing out cards.

"_Normal_ poker."

Saph's POV

After Noah and Em left, the conversation turned immediately to me.

"How do you count your age? Are you mentally the same age as physically?" Carlisle queried, as he had been for the hour Em had been gone.

"We count by fours. Yes, we are as intelligent as sixteen year olds, possibly smarter." I squeezed Benje's hand, hoping he'd get the message. Of course, he didn't.

"Amazing. Do you have powers?" I sighed, continuing to answer Carlisle while keeping an eye on Kade. He was fidgeting, and I knew he wanted to figure out why Noah had kissed Em. To me, it was apparent. Noah inferred that Kade was upsetting Em, and acted. _Finally_ she had a guy that wasn't an idiot.

Bella interrupted my thoughts.

"Carlisle, I'm sure she's had enough for one day. Why don't I show her to her room?" Our mother was not what I had anticipated at all. All throughout the conversation she stood silent, watching me. I had expected her to be happy to see us at least. Maybe she was intimidated by Opal's display earlier.

"Of course, Bella." Carlisle grinned, leaning back. I got to my feet, pulling Benje with me. We followed Bella to a narrow staircase.

"Sapphire..." She began.

"Saph. Call me Saph." I corrected. She smiled and nodded.

"Right. Saph. I just wanted to apologize for everything." I shook my head before she finished.

"There's nothing to be apologizing for." I insisted as she pushed a door open. It was simple, with yellow walls, white trim, and a hardwood floor.

"But there is." She sighed as Benje and I walked into the room. She stayed standing in the doorway. "I left you guys for so long..." She closed her eyes. "And I'm sorry."

"I know." I stepped forward, accepting her into an embrace. She hugged back for a moment before stepping back.

"I'm afraid your sisters won't be so forgiving." I looked her in the eyes, and they were laced with sadness.

"They have to, eventually. Just keep trying." She nodded, turning.

"And...Bella?" She looked back at me for a moment. "I love you." She smiled, all traces of sadness gone. And I realized I meant it. I really did love her, because she was my mom, and even though she wasn't really there for us, the biological connection was still running strong.

She closed the door softly behind her, and I felt Benje's arms wrap around my waist.

"Hey, what about me?" He murmured in my ear, and I turned, hugging him.

"Of course I love you." I burrowed closer into his chest, immersing myself in the scent of him.

"I love you too." He kissed the top of my head.

Opal's POV

I sat in our room, leaning against Jason, eating the mixed nuts I swiped from the kitchen.

"Will you stop eating those? It's grossing me out." He picked up the bowl, leaning to place it out of my grasp.

"But I feel like eating something salty." I reached for them, and he held me still

"Maybe you'll just have to settle for me." He kissed my cheek, and I laughed.

"No sexual innuendoes." I kissed his hand.

"Why not? What if I'm in that mood?" He teased, and I jabbed him in the stomach.

"Too bad, you aren't getting any." I grinned, turning to sit across from him. "I'm bored, and you must remedy this." He sighed, reaching into his bag, pulling out his laptop.

"There you go, have fun." He grinned as I enthusiastically opened it and logged in.

Jason's POV

I watched as Opal surfed the internet, her white hair falling down in a veil.

"C'mere." She murmured, turning the screen to face me. On it there was a picture of the Cullens living room. No, it was a video feed!

"What the hell did you do Opal?!?" I asked, watching Bella walk into the living room.

"You know I never leave home unprepared." She grinned, closing the laptop, and shoving it back into my bag.

"Of course not..." I sighed, pulling her into my arms.

"She's sorry, and he's an idiot." She murmured, her voice muffled by my chest.

"I know, love." She sighed, snuggling closer to me.

"But I can't just accept her apology. I mean, she left us, for three years." I smiled, kissing her forehead.

"If she never left we'd have no reason to meet." She glared at me.

"Really not the point right now Jason." I sighed, shaking my head.

"You don't have to make any choices right now, love." I reminded her. "You don't have to make any choices, ever." She sighed.

"Sometimes, that isn't an option." I ran my fingers through her hair.

"You always have options."

Bella's POV

I walked back into the living room, pondering what Sapphire had said. Kade was waiting for me; the rest of the family had gone to their respective rooms.

"What connection do you have to my daughter?" I asked him, looking directly at him. He smiled slightly, shaking his head.

"We dated. It's just a petty little break up thing." I bit my lip, recognizing a lie when I heard it.

"Did you hurt her?" He shook his head, a little suprised by my aggressive tone. I was a little suprised myself.

"No, of course not." Another lie. That was my vampire power - the power to discern lie from the truth.

"Don't lie to me Kade." I stepped toward him, and he raised an eyebrow, pretending to not be frightened. "You know how much I hate liars." He smiled. He had joined our coven when we were hunting and encountered him trying to change his diet. He joined us so we could help him along, but he stuck with us.

"My dear, I'm not lying." He got up, as if standing would make him more of a threat to me. "If she's hurt, that's her problem." He turned, walking away. I made a mental note to get Edward to smash his head in. I had never liked Kade... It would be a pleasure to hand him over to Volturi.

Noah's POV

Em fell asleep around midnight, after many games of poker, go fish, and blackjack, simple games that I allowed her to win at, by slipping cards around here or there. I pulled the blanket over her, watching her chest rise and fall.

By the way Em had warmed to me during our play, my mission was coming along nicely. At least she wasn't ignoring me or questioning my every move anymore. Silly girl, couldn't understand why a boy might be being nice to her. Quite naive.

I sat back on my heels, debating whether to slide under the covers beside her myself or go back to the chair in the corner. I chose the latter, simply for fear of her reaction if she awoke to my face so close beside her. Sighing to myself, I eased into the recliner, where I still had a fine view of her face. Ah, this mission was going to be fairly fun.

And possibly I could take her when Aro knows what he needs to.

Opal's POV

I woke up early, the need for sleep slipping away from me. Yawning, I pushed Jason in the arm.

"I love you." I sighed as he pulled me into his chest.

"I love you too." He murmured, kissing the top of my head. I yawned again, sitting up to swing my legs over the side of the bed.

"So what now? Do we sit here and await impending doom?" I asked as I dug in my bag for clothes.

"Well, not quite. The Volturi don't just come down and have an all out war- there will be some strategy involved. In the begining, there will be nothing but mind games. They want you alive and on their side." I nodded, choosing jeans and a black t-shirt that read "Bite Me" in silver lettering. Hopefully Edward would get the message.

"But their side is a bad thing, right?" I asked, slipping into the adjoined bathroom.

"Yep." I yanked on the outfit, glancing in the mirror, deciding to put some blood red lipstick on too. Might as well complete the look. "The only problem is, now they know we have Noah against them." I finished off with a light ivory eye shadow, running a brush through my hair.

"Should I dye a forelock purple?" I asked, examining my face in the mirror.

"Hmm..." He suddenly appeared behind me. "I think it would go perfectly with your eyes." I nodded. He leaned down to kiss me, but I pushed him away.

"You'll smudge the lipstick." I grinned at him, prancing out of the room.


	4. Family Feuds

Bella's POV

Edward, Jasmine and I had sat up all night, debating our next move. We heard early morning sounds of the girls awaking, and before we knew it, Opal and Jason appeared in the room,

"Good morning, Jasmine, Bella...Edward." Jason greeted us, all smiles, and Opal put her hand on his arm, as if for support.

"Good morning Jasmine." She smiled only at Jasmine, refusing to allow her gaze to touch us.

"Bonjour Jason, Opal." Jasmine smiled. Her outfit matched her french words, her hair pulled back in a tight bun, a beret on her head, a black and white striped shirt with black capris. Moving my eyes to Opal again, I saw that her outfit made quite a statement.

"Breakfast?" She asked Jason, pointedly turning from my gaze, pretending I didn't exist.

"Right away, my love." Jason grinned, not noticing Edward stiffen. Love...Edward's old name for me. I had only been with the Cullens for a week or two, and Edward was still testing the waters, not willing to jump back into the love we shared before.

Jason lead my daughter by the hand into the kitchen, and Jasmine leaned back, clearing her throat to break the suddenly tense atmosphere, though she didn't know what had caused it.

"Jason's been learning to cook for Opal, it's quite sweet, really. The lengths he goes to for that girl..." She smiled, not realizing our smiles were fake, that what she said was the worst thing she could have said.

"Excuse me, if you will." Edward murmured, always the gentleman, as he got up, headed toward the stairs.

"Edward..." I sighed, staying seated. Better not push my luck. Only one part of the exchange really bothered me, and I don't know why it did. Maybe it was parental instincts...either way, the one thing my mind wouldn't let go of, is that when Jason said 'My love', it was no where near a lie. And then I knew why it bothered me so. Because it hadn't been a lie when Edward spoke those words so many years ago.

Saph's POV

I stared at the ceiling, willing myself to get up. It wasn't that I was tired, just that I felt safe where I was, pressed into Benje's side, warm under the covers. I heard Opal and Jason in the kitchen, Jasmine and Bella in the living room, Em's even breathing in the next room. The sounds of the world. That was why usually got up early, to hear their breathing, the birds chirping, the water running, before it was no longer mine. Sighing, I pushed myself up.

"Morning sleepy head." Benje grinned, pulling me down again to plant a kiss on my forehead.

"Mmm, but I wasn't sleeping." I sat up, sliding off the bed. He propped himself up on an elbow to watch me lazily. I searched my bag for something to wear, settling on a pair of jeans and an elbow length baby blue shirt.

"Gonna change in front of me?" Benje asked hopefully. I shot a dirty glance over my shoulder at him before heading to the bathroom.

"C'mon! Don't lock yourself in the bathroom for hours!" He complained playfully. I smirked, locking the door. I would get my revenge. I grabbed my book that I had brought, sitting on the toilet with the lid closed. A few hours of reading wouldn't hurt me.

Em's POV

I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw being Noah, sitting in the chair, staring at me. Groaning, I rolled over. So it _wasn't_ just a dream. Too bad.

"Good morning Emerald." He greeted. "Did you sleep well?" I sighed.

"I slept fine, Noah." I got to my feet, heading quickly to my bag to get clothes. I selected a brown t-shirt that said 'Make s'mores, not wars' (fitting for the events we were going to discuss today), and jean short-shorts. I slipped into the bathroom, getting dressed as quickly as possible, throwing my hair into a quick ponytail before emerging. Noah had gotten changed in my absence, now wearing a simple gray T-shirt and jeans. Funny, I didn't even see his clothes...shrugging it off, I stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"So, um, are we going to act like a...couple...or something around Kade?" I asked, looking at the floor.

"If you'd like." It was nice that he left it open for me to choose. I took a deep breath, and moved across the room, taking his hand.

"Okay, let's go." His hand felt strangely good in mine. It was probably just the comfort factor...or maybe, it was because no one had held my hand in much too long.

Kade's POV

I met Bella and Jasmine in the living room.

"Good morning." I smiled, sitting. Bella sniffed a little, turning her head. Don't get me wrong, I hated being on her bad side, but that little brat Em deserved it. I heard someone coming down the stairs, and a chill ran through me when I saw it was Em, looking utterly indecent, arm in arm with that cockroach Noah. He whispered something in her ear that caused her to snicker.

"Good morning Jasmine, Bella." Noah smiled, and Em nodded to them each respectively, completely ignoring me. Not that I cared. At all.

"Can I have something to eat?" Em asked Noah, and he nodded, kissing her cheek.

"Anything for you, sweet." He led her into the kitchen. I fumed silently. I looked up at Jasmine and Bella, who looked at me with pity. When did I turn into the hurt one? I was the strong one. The successful one. Until that stupid Noah found her...he was going to regret it.

Opal's POV

I sat on the counter, scarfing down the pancakes Jason had made. I watched, amused, as Noah and Em tricked Kade. The second he couldn't see them anymore, they dropped each others hands as if they had been electrocuted.

"Can I have some?" Em asked Jason sweetly, and he laughed, handing her a plate he had already prepared. I listened upstairs, hearing Saph's mind absorbed in a novel while Benje's mind...I slipped away as quickly as possible. Didn't need to see my sister that way. Apparently she locked herself in the bathroom and Benje was imagining what would happen if he was with her. Gross.

"So, battle plan?" Jason asked, pulling himself up to sit beside me on the counter.

"Eat the pancakes and talk later?" I offered, at Jason chuckled.

"Glad to see I'm a good enough cook that you're so in love with the food." I laughed, taking another bite.

"It's not that you're a good cook, it's that I'm hungry." We all chuckled as Em and I ate.

"I don't think Kade likes me." Noah laughed, turning slightly to see Kade's glare. I dipped into Kade's mind and saw death threats.

"Nope. In fact, he wants you dead." I giggled, finishing my breakfast. "Hey, you guys, we need to make this 'torture Kade day'. Let's show him exactly what he's missing." Em glared at me.

"Let's not and say we did." She was such a goody two-shoes!

"Aw, c'mon. It'll be fun." I grinned, and she finished her pancakes.

"Opaaaal!" She crossed her arms. "Seriously." I tugged her arm, placing it around Noah's waist. Noah seemed fine with this, but Em started thrashing around.

"Opal! OPAL! Let me go _right_ _now_!" I laughed as she yanked away.

"Oh come on! You'll have so much fun!" Jason shook his head at us, grinning.

"I take it they do this a lot?" Noah asked Jason, and he nodded.

"God yes." Em growled, turning to stomp up the stairs. I grabbed her.

"Why are you so freak out ish?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Because you're trying to make me do something _I DON'T WANT TO DO_!" She screeched, and Jason laughed.

"Next, Opal will say something about how this will benefit Em, and Em will throw her arms up in the air and walk away." Jason predicted, and I laughed.

"Yep, pretty much." Em made a little 'gangeh!' sound, throwing her hands up and walking away.

"Don't be a cry baby!" I called after her, and Jason shook his head.

"And this is why I pity the Volturi." Jason pulled me into his arms. "In fact I pity anyone who gets on the bad side of these beautiful girls." Noah grins, glancing back at Kade.

"Maybe not everyone..."

Saph's POV

I laughed as I listened to Em and Opal fight downstairs. They did this all the time, but that was what made them tight. The fact that they fought over the smallest little things, and yet they were always there for each other. Always.

Benje pounded on the door again.

"Come on babe, you know I was joking!" He complained, and I went back to the book I was reading.

"But I'm right at the climax of my book." I grinned. I was no where near.

"Liar." He accused. I laughed again, flipping a page.

"And so as the handsome, sexy Joe leaned forward into-" I pretended to read aloud.

"Joe? What kind of name is _Joe_?" Benje asked, crashing open the door. I laughed, standing up.

"C'mon Mr. Name critic, let's go join the rest of the family." I took his arm, stopping beside Em's room. The door was closed. I knocked on the door, receiving a prompt 'Go away'.

"Aw, Em, you know Opal was just being herself."

"Lighten up a little!" Benje added, and I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Benje killed it." She laughed from the room and I sighed. Benje always lightened a mood. Of course it probably had something to do with the fact he was an empath...

"C'mon, let's go kick some sisterly ass!" I exclaimed, and the door opened.

"Okay." She followed us down the stairs into the kitchen, where Opal was double over laughing and Noah was covered in syrup.

"Um, I don't even want to know..." I looked at Benje, and it was silent for a second before the entire room burst into laughter.

"If you'll excuse me, I need a shower." Noah shook his head, heading back up the stairs.

"Ha, oh, he made a smart-ass comment about Em and I fighting and I decided he'd be happier covered in syrup." Opal grinned. "Don't ask me why." I shook my head. Typical Opal.

"Well, if you're all fed, would you mind joining us in the living room?" Jasmine called. We filed into the living room, Noah joining us, having had a shower at vampire speed, his hair still wet.

Em's POV

I hung back, sitting on a love seat beside Noah. I watched the scenes around me, the pleasant, comfortable chat with the people we barley knew.

"I hate you." Noah smiled at Opal, who stuck her tongue out at him. I knew she meant nothing by their playful banter, but I felt protective none the less. I slid closer to Noah, and when he glanced at me, I glanced at Kade, and Noah slipped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him, and told myself it was for Kade. All for Kade.

"Well, we've made a decision." Bella stood facing us, and I heard Opal snort. "Uh, well, the Volturi have always been civil to us. But, if they see the girls, they can send a tracker after them. So we chose to meet with them, have Carlisle explain our position, while the girls go into hiding. Carlisle figures out whether they're a threat, and if they are, we run." Bella nodded, satisfied with herself.

"I object!" Opal stood up, staring her down. I put my head in my hands. "Why should we run like cowards? Oh, excuse me, you know _everything_ about that, don't you?" Jason pulled Opal to a seated position as Jasmine exclaimed,

"Opal, that's enough." There was silence as Opal stared Bella down.

"It would not be cowardly, as we would be protecting ourselves." She tried to reason, gaining nothing but an eye roll from Opal.

"I find the suggestion reasonable." Saph agreed for us.

"Thank you Sapphire." Bella smiled. This was my problem. Saph had already enchanted Bella, Opal hated her guts, and I was stuck in between. Soon enough it'd be a tug of war between the two. I didn't know if I'd be able to deal with it.

"Since when does Saph make choices for us?" Opal growled. "I say we leave it to Em!"

_**Stay out of my mind!!!**_ I shrieked at her, earning a grin.

"I say that's stupid." I argued. "Em doesn't make decisions." Noah laughed.

"Noah doesn't think Em should speak in the third person!" Opal laughed.

"Anyways, the matter is not in dispute." Jasmine grinned at Bella. Opal narrowed her eyes at them. She opened her mouth to say something, when Jasmine's eyes went wide, and flickered quickly to the door.

"Girls, go!" She whispered, and we left without argument, rushing up the stairs.

Carlisle's POV

Edward sat beside me on my couch in my room, waiting for our signal. All I had been told was that I was to talk to the Volturi and tell them the girls weren't interested. That way, if Aro shook my hand, he wouldn't know where the girls were going. In fact, Jasmine was the only one who knew, and she had used Kade's power to block her mind, so that even Edward couldn't see. Edward glanced at me.

"Show time." He grinned. I got up, smoothing my clothes. I heard a knock on the door, and proceeded down the stairs as Bella opened the door.

"Aro, how lovely to see you!" I smiled as the ancient king stepped into the room.

"Carlisle, a pleasure, as always." He nodded, not extending his hand. Excellent. He wanted me to trust him. "And Bella! A vampire. Finally." Aro smiled at her.

"Yes, we had a little..." She glanced at Edward. "...Trouble getting here, but now I'm immortal." Jasmine and Kade hung back, and Aro flicked his gaze toward them.

"This is Jasmine, and Kade, our most resent additions." I offered, and they nodded.

"Additions. I see." He looked displeased that our already massive clan was expanding, but he didn't take any action.

"I take it you aren't here for pleasure?" Edward asked from behind me. Aro sighed.

"Unfortunately, you are correct Edward. Strictly business." Aro looked around, as Jane, Felix and Demetri behind him sniffed the air. Kade left the room, and I hoped they thought the foreign scents were his and Jasmines.

"Well let's not hold you up at the door, come in, come in." Esme came in, obviously notified by Kade.

"Ah, Esme, how nice to see you again." Aro sat, as did I. Edward remained standing. "Jasmine, I've forgotten my manners. I am Aro."

"_Enchanté._" She smiled, and it was silent for a moment.

"Well, Carlisle, I realize this is rather personal, but I have been notified that your son and his...wife?" Aro glanced at Bella, who looked away. Edward stiffened. "Ah, well, Edward and Bella, have had children together. Very lovely development...except for the fact we need to assess the threat these children posses." I nodded.

"I understand, but truth be told, I've no idea where they've gone. I do know that they've been alive for four years, but the rate of growth is roughly times four a human baby, slower when they were newborns." Aro nodded, thoughtful.

"So they look and act approximately sixteen?" I nodded. "I see. And no one has any idea where they've gone." I nodded again. "Then I'll have to leave the offer to the beautiful Bella." He chuckled at his pun, turning to her. "Bella, your children, not to mention you, your...Edward, and Alice are welcome to become a part of the Volturi." I watched Bella's expression. She kept it smooth.

"I'm very honored Aro, but I must decline the invitation, for both my daughters and I." Aro nodded, sighing.

"Actually Bella, I really must insist." Aro smiled grimly. Damn it. "You see, I control the fate of billions of people, vampires and humans alike. I just cannot have a new species running around, wreaking havoc, a species which I know nothing about. Especially when the threat is tripled." Bella bit her lip.

"They really aren't dangerous. Not at all." She argued softly.

"Maybe, maybe not." Aro shrugged. "Either way, I need to evaluate them. I'm afraid the bottom line is they will appear at this address," Jane handed me a piece of paper with and address scrawled on it, "Before midnight tomorrow, or I'm afraid we will resort to force." He stood, his entourage opening the door for him. "It really was nice to see you again Carlisle. Hopefully the next time we meet it will be under less...dramatic circumstances." He exited gracefully, and we waited until the sound of his car faded into the distance.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I expected."


	5. Hidden Faces

Opal's POV

I heard voices above us as we ran through a system of underground tunnels.

_Jason, what's the chance of us coming out alive?_ I asked him mentally, shielding the answer from my sisters.

_**Alive? Fifty fifty. Free? Roughly negative twelve. **_I grimaced.

_That bad, huh?_ He sighed and nodded. My sisters were oblivious to this doomsday prediction, but Noah wasn't. He watched my face. I hated the fact I couldn't dig into his mind, find exactly why Em was whispering her worries to him and not me, why he sat still and heard them. Jason took my hand and I remembered why.

"This is the safe house." Emmett, who had joined us earlier on, led us to a steel door, which he pushed open with ease. "Complete with fingerprint recognition, keypad, and escape pods." He opened up the door to a large, open room, with many fluorescent lights, a kitchenette in the corner, beds against the opposite wall. A group of chairs sat in another corner, and the last wall was lined with books. Across from them were two tunnels with scooters leaning against the walls. "They're super charged to go twelve times faster than any vampire. Courtesy of Rosalie." We walked in, and Emmett closed the door behind us.

"Now what?" I asked, glancing around. Noah and Em were hovering close to each other, Benje had his arm around Saph's waist. Jason was beside me. We heard running footsteps.

"It's me." Kade shouted, and Emmett opened the door. "Aro's gone. He said if you don't go to him by midnight he's coming to get you." He looked at Saph and I, then finally Em.

"Well then we'll have to be quicker than him." Emmett grinned. "Or stronger." Kade shook his head.

"There is no stronger or faster!" He argued. "That's why they're on top."

"Not necessarily..." Noah murmured, his eyes lighting up. "Do you remember the _Unidos_?" Benje's eyes widened.

"No, that's strictly off limits. Even Aro himself hasn't touched it!" Noah was already at the bookshelf, yanking out books.

"Here." He presented a thick book with a sparkling, silver cover. "In my opinion, it's our only hope."

"We don't even have anyone to cast it." Noah glanced around at us.

"I think these three have enough magic in them to pull it off." I glanced at my sisters, who were all as bewildered as I.

"Hold on, what's a 'unidos'?" I asked for us, and Noah paused.

"Actually, it's _Unidos Ortográfica_, and it means Uniting Spell. In theory, it unites a group of vampire's powers, making them stronger than ever before. But it has such a huge chance of backfiring that no one's come near it for a millennium. You need to do it on the spot, as it wears off in five to ten minutes, and one person needs to be the one carrying the power, while the others are left in an almost dead state. If the subject dies, they all do." Noah explained, and I looked at my sisters.

"So...you want the three of us to join our powers?" Saph asked. Noah nodded.

"It's an idea. Any more than three and the subject could be overcome and die. Any less and it might not be strong enough." He tossed the book onto the floor in the middle of the circle we had formed.

"What do we have to do?" I asked, looking at Jason. His expression was defiant, though greif-filled.

"It's easy, almost like a witches spell in human lore. Put all of your hands stacked together, subject on the bottom, while the others chant an incantation. Once they finish, the subject says their piece, and it's complete. There are no visual changes in the subject, but it's been said they can feel the difference." It was silent for a moment as we started at the book in the middle.

"So wait..." Em spoke up. She looked faint, and she was leaning into Noah. "What's the plan? I get this Uniting Spell thing, but is this for sure?"

"I don't think so." I offered. "I think we should wait it out. Maybe Aro will give up. If not, we attack." Emmett shook his head.

"Aro doesn't give up. I say we move you each to a different location, and keep you there."

Noah's POV

Shame poured through me as they discussed my master's demise. This was insanity. What had I done? Why had I suggested that? I could barley breathe. My allegiance was pledged to Aro Volturi, and that's where it would stay. But for some ridiculous reason, Em's warm hand in mine was more than a trick to make the boy jealous. It made me betray Aro, and the worst part was, I had no idea why.

I promised myself I'd make it up to him. Of course, I wouldn't tell him my treachery, but I would certainly tell him the plans.

But then again, if they were all headed to separate places, how would Aro know if I only gave him Sapphire and Opal's location? I'd tell him I wasn't aware of Ems. Perfect. And if they weren't together, there was no way they could initiate the spell.

"But how would we make the spell go off if we're all separate?" Saph questioned, and I cursed her internally.

"Well obviously the locations will be close enough that we can rush you together in an emergency." Jason nodded at Emmett.

"Where though? It needs to have no way they can trace us, and easy exit points for us that they can't get into." I bit my lip, making a quick choice.

"Em should hide somewhere dramatically populated. She's human enough to pull it off, it'll be the last place he'll look, and if he manages to find her, it's got too many humans to try anything around." I grinned, loving my perfect solution, and the fact everyone was nodding along.

"The mall." Emmett grinned. "It's in the city, has skylights, very busy, never closes." I tightened my grip on Em's hand. She would be safe, and that was all that really mattered.

"Okay, now that I'm safe, what about Opal and Saph?" Em asked, looking around.

"Well, I'd say with Saph, the more private the better. Someone who can't eat or sleep will attract attention." Benje mused. "Maybe some _hotel_?" His voice was suggestive. Saph elbowed him in the stomach.

"Could you please plot our survival first, and think about your penis later?" She glared, and I laughed.

"Whipped." Benje directed his glare to me.

"No, no, a hotel isn't a bad idea." Emmett thought for a moment. "What about a really ratty one, where the Cullens wouldn't dream of staying? Five minutes from the mall?" We nodded.

"Okay, last but not least, Opal." Saph said, looking at her. She crossed her arms.

"If you say what you just thought I won't hesitate to punch you in the jaw. Hard." I glanced at Saph, who just laughed.

"School. Who would look for Opal in a typical high school?" Opal charged at Saph, and Jason held her back.

"Perfect!" Emmett exclaimed. "There's a school ten minutes from the mall, and five from the hotel. We're in business. Operation relocation, here we go!" No one moved. "Fine, operation wait for Carlisle and Edward and Bella and Jasmine is a go." Then we moved, Jason going to the kitchenette with Opal to fix her something, Saph and Benje going to the bookcase. Kade left, presumably to find Carlisle. I led Em to the couches and chairs, sitting across from her.

"Okay, now that I've pretty much saved your hide, I want something." I whispered, and she watched me warily.

"What?" She asked. I laughed.

"It's nothing terribly dramatic. I just wanted to know what happened with Kade?" Her eyes widened, her cheeks turned red.

"Opal, Saph, could you come here?" She called, and they were next to us is a second."Tell him about Kade." Opal looked at her, then sighed.

"Well, last year, Em met Kade and he attempted to do what all meat heads do, take her virginity.Once he did so, she promptly found this slut's lips all over him." She gestured to Saph.

"Hey! Ignore her. Em opened my door to ask for god knows what, and saw Kade grab me and kiss me. Luckily enough she waited there long enough to see me slap the bastard. And, well, I might have set his hair on fire. You know, just for a minute." Saph grinned at the memory.

"So, he cheated on you. With your own sister." I shook my head. I admired the fact they had such a pure, sisterly love. My brother demanded control of everything. These days, I call him my master and pledge him my undying allegiance. Did I ever mention my last name is Volturi?

Saph's POV

After I explained Kade's treachery to Noah, Carlisle arrived.

"Okay everyone, Aro was serious, so I think we need to pair you off. Jason can stay with Opal, Benjamin with Sapphire, and Noah with Emerald. Everyone okay with that?" We all nodded. It had been a given anyway, we all knew Jason and Benje wouldn't leave Opal and I to be hunted like wild boars.

But would Noah leave Em? Like Kade did? Everyone Em had tried to grow close to, Kade, Bella, had left her. Now that Kade wasn't in the room, Em and Noah left a cold, empty space between them, but I wasn't a mind reader or an empath but I still saw sparks fly. I was starting to think their relationship wasn't strictly for Kade.

You see, when we were in the womb, Opal's power seeped through us all. We weren't psychic but we could feel things about one another- we could tell when one of us was in danger, or dangerous, or in love...Jasmine says human twins do the same thing, and if they were to become vampires they would have psychic powers, simply for the closeness twins are at for so long in their lives. But, I digress.

"Let's head out." Carlisle motioned to the scooters...exuse me, Emmett's 'escape pods'. "You can take the cars out front, but use these to get there." I grabbed one, Benje another, Opal, Jason, and Noah all grabbed one. But there was a shortage. I sighed.

"Oh come on, Em just ride with him. We won't say anything!" Opal voiced my thoughts at the same time as disregarding Em's fears. Em slid onto Noah's scooter, in front of the handlebars, while he wrapped his arms around her to control the steering. She was blushing bright old shy Em. We departed the safe house, traveling a kilometer or two to get around front to the cars.

"I'll take two of you, and the other four can follow." Oh god. Edward came out with the keys in his hand.

"I'll come too." Bella walked out, and I glanced at Opal, who's face had darkened. Joy.

"I think it'd be best for everyone's health if Em and Noah rode with Bella, and we follow." I suggested, and Benje nodded.

"I will not ride in a car with Drama Queen and Bella." Benje shuddered. "Just being out here is giving me a headache, and I don't even think that's possible." I giggled before climbing into a stylish red convertible. Edward's group was riding in a silver volvo. I guess the Cullens didn't mind showing their money.

Jane's POV

I drummed my fingers on my knee, watching the Cullen's long, winding driveway.

"And you're sure Aro said to watch here?" I asked Felix, who sat behind me, sprawled in the grass.

"Yes, outside the driveway, for their cars." He sat up. "Is that...?" I listened.

"Voices." We grinned together. I flipped out my cell, dialing a number.

"Jane?" Aro answered as two cars sped past us.

"We're in business. They're headed south, toward the city. 'No idea where they went' my ass." I heard his laugh.

"Thank you my dear. In exactly two hours, I need you to call my brother's phone and tell him just how this is going to work. I want those girls, and I want them today." I grinned, noting the license plates.

"Yes sir." I flipped it closed, terminating the connection.

Bella's POV

I sat in the passenger seat, sneaking sidelong glances at Edward. I didn't know why in the world I decided to come, especially now that I was sitting in a silent car with nothing to say. Well, he needed someone to drive Rosalie's car back, so I had an excuse.

"So, Bella. How are you related to the Cullens exactly?" Noah asked me politely. I was thankful for the break in silence, but I hated the question.

"Well, Edward and I dated back when I was human. Then, he left, I changed, they found me." I was careful with my answer.

"Ah, so you're a couple?" Noah asked again. Damn that boy and his curiosity.

"Err.." I didn't know what to say. Edward looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "I...I guess...we...aren't." I looked at Edward, and his face was strange. His expression was a mask, but I saw something bleeding through. What, I wasn't sure. Recklessness?

"Oh." Noah sensed he touched a nerve, and backed off.

"Out of gas." Edward murmured, pulling into a gas station.

"I'm going to go stretch my legs..." Noah murmured, pulling Em with him, forgetting vampires didn't get stiff. I got out with Edward and watched him pump the gas.

"Once again, your mind confuses me. Actually, my own is becoming rather odd as well." Edward glanced at me, watching me carefully.

"In what way?" I asked, leaning against the car.

"Part of me wants to tell you to get away, but the rest wants to grab you and kiss you, without boundaries this time. Without being careful of tender skin and thin bones." His answer made me lock my gaze with his, my eyes wide.

"Which side is winning?" I asked breathlessly, trying not to show that I was all for the latter.

"That's where your mind comes in." He finished up, and Noah shouted from the building he'd pay. "If I knew what you were thinking, I would know exactly what you want, and I could do whatever you needed." I took a deep breath, hoping I wasn't setting myself up for disappointment.

"You really want to know what I'm thinking?" He took a step closer, so I had to look up at him

"Always." He murmured, just like he used to, sending a chill down my spine.

"I'm thinking that I've missed you so badly, and I never stopped loving you. Ever." His mouth spread into my favorite crooked smile.

"Good." He met his mouth to mine and I was in heaven. Nothing had changed between us as I twisted my hands into his hair. He broke away.

"They're watching us." He sighed softly in my ear.

"Good." I echoed him, meeting his lips again. It only lasted a moment before we broke apart. I was glowing. Coming with them was the best idea I had ever had.

Em's POV

I watched Edward and Bella kiss from the store. I chewed the gummy worms Noah had bought me, and watched him press her against the side of the car.

"Don't watch, it's rude." Noah whispered in my ear. I grinned up at him.

"I wasn't trying to. Its just when you see two people in love like that you want to stop and be in the moment. As if...you could absorb a little happiness by being close to them." He nodded, understanding somehow. They broke apart, both of them grinning like maniacs. They embraced before getting back into the car.

"Let's go." I followed Noah out, still eating my gummy worms.

"Everyone ready?" Bella asked as we got in. I noticed the visible difference in the atmosphere. Edward had only one hand on the wheel, the other holding Bella's hand. We finally arrived at the entrance of a huge building with a huge sign that read 'Webber Land'.

"Here we are." Edward said, idling. "You have our number Noah, right?" Noah nodded, and we got out. The car zipped away.

"So." Noah looked at me.

"So...?" I asked, and he laughed.

"So, let's go inside." I grinned as a raindrop fell on my nose. We ran towards the doors.

Noah's POV

We wandered around for a while, and Em eventually had to go to the washroom. As she entered the room, my phone rang. I answered it.

"Hello my dear Noah. How are things?" Jane's voice trilled. I groaned.

"Must I deal with you?" I asked. I knew I could get Aro to let me keep Em, but Jane was an issue.

"Fine. You are a rude person." I heard the phone passing hands.

"Noah. How are you doing?" Aro's papery voice asked. We had aged differently. I stayed much the same, as I did the physical dirty work of the royal family. Aro stayed in his palace, aging more than any ever had.

"Shove the pleasantries. I have a deal to make." I growled, and he chuckled.

"As long as the girls are on my side of the bargain." Aro laughed, and I sighed.

"You can have two. I want to keep Em. Alive and free." Aro sighed heavily, his good mood gone.

"Her power is a shield, correct?" He asked.

"Yes." I smiled as Em came out of the washroom. I covered the mouthpiece. "I'll be done in a moment." She nodded, looking at a display.

"Fine. I want the others locations. But only because you're family." I smiled, watching Em examine a book.

"Nice doing business with you, as always. I'll text you the information." I flipped the cell closed, as Em looked up at me.

"Who was that?" She asked, placing the book back on its stand.

"Just... an old friend."

Saph's POV

Edward stopped for gas, and we pulled over down the road, watching the make out session.

"Make you horny?" Benje elbowed me, and I slapped him.

"Keep it_ in_ your pants!" Opal laughed at our bickering.

Edward took off again, and we did as well. We pulled up in front of a mall before Edward started off again, in front of a high school.

"Bye Opal." I grinned, and she glared at me.

"I hate you." She slammed the door and I laughed. Edward started off again, stopping one more time in front of a ratty looking building. We got out, and Bella climbed in, driving away. Benje and I turned to see the hotel, and took a deep breath. This was it.

Aro's POV

I received the locations from Noah.

"A school and a hotel. Intelligent." Felix leaned over a map, circling the locations. "But not smart enough." I smiled, leaning back in my throne.

"No one is smart enough, nor strong enough, to defeat the Volturi. We're unbeatable."


	6. Fighting Back

Opal's POV

I grumbled in the school bathroom. Jason had gone to do something involving beating up the jock that whistled at me, and I was alone, reading the graffiti on the walls.

_OMG, BReANNA IS __SUCH__ A SLUT!_

_Bethany needs to get HER OWN BOYFRIEND!_

_Sarah is a BIG STUPID BACKSTABBER__! __**Get a life!**__OMG you are soooo lame_!

I wondered quietly who , Breanna, Bethany and Sarah were. They obviously led normal lives, hated by someone so low and jealous they would reduce themselves to writing their revenge on a bathroom wall. The window shattered, breaking me out of my train of thought. My eyes widen when a petite girl clamped her hand over my mouth, yanking me outside.

"Hello Opal." She sneered, throwing me into a car and into the arms of two large males.

"Sem Poderes!" The girl says, and I choke for a moment before trying to burst her apart...but nothing happened. I tried to lift a paperclip on the dash as we sped away-nothing.

"What did you do to me?" I asked, and she laughed.

"I took your powers. Temporarily, of course. I did the same to your boyfriend, so don't make a move." I cursed her. She just laughed.

Saph's POV

Benje went downstairs in a hunt for the bartender that whistled at me on the way up. I was pretty sure they were a vampire, too. I was on the bed, staring at the ceiling of the dingy room. Rolling over, I saw the wall had a paragraph of writing...

Whoever's reading this should know I'm going to have a fun time with my boyfriend tonight. Right where you're sitting... wink wink.

"Good lord." I grimaced, getting off the bed. "Humans these days." I heard glass crashing, and whipped around to see a vampire child pounce on me. I shot a burst of fire at her, but she just shouted "Sem Poderes" , and I couldn't shoot it anymore.

"Oh my god! What the hell did you do?" I asked as she pushed me out the window, into the arms of a burly man who shoved me into a car, where Opal simmered angrily with another one.

"She took our powers, Saph." Opal confirmed my fears.

"Are you...the Volturi?" I asked the girl, and she laughed.

"I am Jane Volturi. Welcome to the family."

Jason's POV

I never found the kid. I went back to the bathroom, in search of Opal. I knocked on the door.

"Opal, come on." I called. No answer. "Opal?" I searched the room with my mind, and found nothing. My blood chilled. I threw open the door, just to see broken glass littering the floor, the window open. It smelt like the Volturi.

"This is going to be bad." I growled, dialing Edward's cell.

Benje's POV

The guy, whoever he was, was missing by the time I got downstairs. I grumbled up the stairs, wishing I could smash his face in. Though I thought I caught a whiff of vampire. Laughing about the stupidity of it all, I opened the door to our room. I gasped, seeing the room empty and the window smashed.

"God dammit...they're _good_." Jane's scent was all over the room. I quickly called Edwards cell, just to get a busy tone. That scared me-hopefully the others were okay. But then again, if Saph was gone, Opal and Em must be too. I tried Edward's cell again, and got through.

Edward's POV

My phone rang, and I pulled away from my embrace with Bella.

"Yes?" I asked grumpily. I didn't like being interrupted.

"Opal's gone." Jason sounded close to hysterics.

"Damn it, not even three hours in." I sighed, getting up, searching for Carlisle.

"I know, the place reeks of Volturi." I found my 'father' in his office.

"Carlisle, Opal's gone, and Jason says it smells like Volturi." Carlisle cursed.

"I'm going to follow it, see if they were on foot." The connection terminated. Not three seconds later, it rang again.

"Saph's gone!" Benjamin cried. I groaned.

"So is Opal. Call Noah and ask how Emerald is." I instructed him.

"Kay, but by the way, it was Jane. Her smell is stronger than I've ever smelt." He hang up, and I looked helplessly at Carlisle.

"I don't know, Edward. If I know Aro, he's on a plane to Italy as we speak, with Opal and Sapphire. No doubt a private jet, knowing him. The only thing we can do is pray that Em is still fine, so we can teach her _Unidos_." I nodded.

Noah's POV

My phone rang again, and I gave Em money to buy a soda.

"Noah! Saph and Opal are gone, don't leave Em's side, okay?" Benjamin insisted before I could get out a 'Hello'.

"Okay. Are we relocating to the Cullens?" I asked, as Em came back with her pop and my change.

"I guess so. Damn it Noah, if anything happens to her...she's my life. It's the same with Jason and Opal. We need to get them back." He sounded so tortured that I almost felt guilty for obeying my brother.

"I think I'm starting to get how that feels." I said, looking at Em. "I'll get her there. Call us a cab, would you?" I hung up, still watching Em.

"I don't feel comfortable using your money, Noah." She wrinkled her nose, handing me my change. "I feel very dependent." I laughed.

"It's okay, it's nothing. That was Benje, saying Opal and Sapphire are gone." Her eyes widened, and she dropped her pop. I caught it at vampire speed as she remained silent. "We're going outside to wait for a taxi, okay? Then we'll be back at the house, and you'll be safe." She was shaking. "Come on, you're fine. They won't hurt you, I promise." Em looked at me, her eyes watering up. She was very human...

"It doesn't matter what they do to me! What about my sisters?" I sighed, leading her out to the front, where our taxi was waiting. Of course it was just Edward in his Volvo, but I didn't care at this point.

Opal's POV

"Aro will be thrilled to meet you." Jane trilled from the front seat. I crossed my arms, ignoring her.

"Why are you doing this?" Saph asked, and I wanted to slap her.

"One thing you have to learn about us, my dear. It honestly started off as idle curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat." I muttered. She laughed.

"Ah, but satisfaction brought him back." She grinned. "Anyway, the Cullens have forever been a challenge for Aro. And he loves a challenge. So when they had something we wanted...it became a game of sorts...and we just came away with a trophy." She smiled at me, and suddenly I had a pounding headache.

"Ow, what the hell?" I rubbed at my head. She looked away, and it lifted. "Shoot, please don't tell me you cause _pain_!" She nodded, still smiling to herself. We pulled into a driveway, and the men pulled us out and around back. We gasped at the sight of a massive jet sitting in the middle of an even bigger field.

"Ah, my guests have arrived. I am Aro Volturi." A really old looking vampire walked towards us.

"Charmed, I'm sure." I spit sarcastically. The men let us go.

"Shall we then?" Aro led us up into the plane. Saph and I stayed still. He sighed. "Obviously you don't get it. We decided to leave Emerald alone. Now, if you two can't cooperate with us, I'll be forced to change my mind." His tone was pleasant, as if he was discussing a sunny day, but his eyes were fierce. I looked at Saph, and we both boarded the plane without another word.

Jason's POV

I paced back and forth, cursing under my breath.

"So I have to memorize the spell, and then Jason is going to get my sisters out to me." Em confirmed the plan with Carlisle, and he nodded grimly. "But why does Jason have to be the in between? Why can't I just go in?"

"I'm sorry Em, but you're simply too human." She closed her eyes for a moment before fixing them on me.

"And you're fine with this?" She asked, and I mustered up the biggest smile I could find.

"It'll be easy, Em. I go in, get out. Not hard." Of course it was an out right lie. The only reason I was volunteering to do this was because Opal was on the other side of those walls. And if I couldn't get her out, I'd rather die trying than live without her.

"Fine, can I learn it now?" Carlisle pushed the book in front of her. I read over her shoulder, curious.

_Unir os nossos poderes_

_Tornar-nos mais fortes_

_Somos imbatíveis_

_Irmãs sempre_

"Okay, so the other people read that?" Em pointed at it to Carlisle, and he nodded

"And the subject reads this." He pointed to another section.

_Unidos estamos _

_Juntos para sempre_

She nodded, whispering the words to herself.

"Perfect." Carlisle sighed, glancing at me. He knew that this was a suicide mission. But he also knew how I would just go find a way to die anyway if Opal didn't come out of there. He already had one son try to do just that.

Aro's POV

My guests were whispering in the back of the plane, forgetting that I could hearA. They weren't saying anything vital, so I turned to Jane.

"My dear, I had a brilliant plan." I smiled at her, watching her apply makeup.

"Your plans are always brilliant." She trilled, and I chuckled.

"This one is exceptionally so. Why have most, when I could have all? No doubt the Cullens are going to run to Italy to play hero. And what have I been wishing for?" Jane put the lip gloss down.

"The future and present." I smiled, nodding, looking back at the girls.

"Exactly. We shall capture Edward, Alice and Emerald, and have ourselves a complete collection."

Saph's POV

We arrived at our destination - wherever it was - after hours of tiring flight. We received cloaks to wear, and we walked through an old city like a parade. I felt like collapsing, I was so bummed. I had no idea what came next, and I hated that. Opal was still defiant.

"Why black?" She asked Jane, gesturing to the cloaks. "Why not something stylish like...orange? Why can't we walk around in _orange _cloaks?" Jane rolled her eyes.

"Because this way we blend in." Opal snorted.

"Because a procession of sparkling people in heavy cloaks in the middle of summer is like, totally blended. Yup, silly me." She kicked a stone, and it whacked Aro.

"Why did we want them again?" Jane asked Aro, and he chuckled.

"It will be worth it soon enough, my dear." He answered, looking at us with blood red eyes. "Soon enough." I gulped, and looked at Opal. She shrugged.

"Dude, can't you at least wear contacts?" She asked Jane, and I sighed. This would be a long walk.

Em's POV

I sat in a random car Edward had rented, in the back, squished between Alice and Edward. In Italy. Noah drove and Carlisle was in the passenger seat.

"So one more time- Alice stays guard, Jason and I go in, get the girls out, Emerald reads the spell, Volturi are conquered. Correct?" Edward looked back at us, and sighed. "I've never done anything even remotely as ridiculous." Alice grinned.

"Does the year before the last ring a bell? By the way, Bella crashed my porche. Will you get me a new one?" Edward sighed, swinging into an ally.

"No. Now, Em, stay with Alice. Jason, Carlisle, come with me." Edward and Jason got out, headed for the castle on the horizon. Alice, Noah and I got out, staying a fair distance behind them. I was amazed at their calmness. It was clear they dealt with crisis all the time.

We arrived at the castle, and watched the boys go into the large doors. We looked at each other.

"I can see the future Em. I'll know when to take evasive action." Alice smiled at my confused expression. I nodded as she closed her eyes.

Jason's POV

I moved quickly toward the throne room. It was the only room he could possibly use, seeing as the dungeon would be considered too 'unwelcoming'. I knew Aro's mind, having served with the Volturi, and I liked thinking of it as an advantage over him.

"I hear them..." Edward murmured, referring to his power. I rolled my eyes.

"So do I." I listened carefully.

_**I swear to god, one more comment and I squash her.**_

___Okay, what else can I annoy her with?_

___**Good god Opal just shut the hell up!**_

Yes, definitely them. At least Opal was alright. I ran into the throne room, immediately regretting it.

Em's POV

Alice's eyes burst open.

"Shoot! We need to get out of here. Jason fell for a trap." Alice growled softly.

"But we can't just leave them!" I argued, annoyed that I was being treated like a little kid as Noah tugged me. I mustered all my energy to throw them off of me with a blast of protective energy.

"Em!" Alice's eyes burned. "I see what you're thinking and it won't work!" I ignored her, turning and running as fast as I could. I heard their shouts after me, but it was too late. I burst into the castle to come face to face with a petite little girl. Alice and Noah ran in after us, and they were grabbed by two random men.

"So glad you could join us, Alice." The girl raised her eyebrows at Alice.

"A pleasure, as always Jane. Is there anyway Felix could stop feeling me up?" She asked pleasantly. Jane sighed.

"Come, Aro's been waiting."

Opal's POV

Jason charged into the room right as I was making a sarcastic remark about Jane's nail color.

"Idiot." I grumbled as he was overtaken by vampires easily, as was Carlisle and Edward, who came in next. "What were you thinking?" He looked at me, grinning a bit.

"I was thinking I could be the prince who rescued you on a white horse." Jane made a gagging sound, and I glared at her. Suddenly, my powers surged through me.

"Ooh, my powers are back!" I grinned, enjoying the feeling of strength that I never knew was there until I lost it. Aro sighed, as Jane left the room.

"Opal, can we not have a civilized conversation?" He asked exasperatedly. I rolled my eyes.

"So easy to do when I'm being held against my will." He shook his head.

Suddenly, Jane paraded back in with Noah, Em, and Alice.

"Good god not you too!" I sighed, shaking my head. "Hopeless." Aro smiled, standing in front of us.

"Now that we have a full house, we can talk." I stuck up my hand, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Kay, first off, how did you know where we were?" I asked, and Aro laughed.

"Didn't Noah tell you? He chose, to keep his little Emily-"

"Emerald." Noah corrected.

"Yes, Esmerelda, safe, by revealing the locations of her sisters."

Em's POV

I looked at Noah in horror.

"No, you don't understand!" He began.

"Oh I think I understand perfectly!" I shouted, running to Opal, who hugged me tight.

"Ah, sorry, was that a secret?" Aro asked, mock-sheepish. "Sorry, sometimes a brother forgets...whoops." He cackled, and now everyone was glaring at him

"Brother?" Jason looked at him, furious. Well, at least this was opportunity. I waved Saph over to us, winking, and she took the hint. They all hugged me, sinking to the floor, as Aro watched the drama unfold with Jason and Noah.

"Here's what we say." I whispered, slipping a piece of paper to them.

"_Unir os nossos poderes, Tornar-nos mais fortes, Somos imbatíveis, Irmãs sempre" _They chanted together, placing my hand under theirs

"_Unidos estamos, Juntos para sempre!" _I said reluctantly. I thought Opal or someone strong would be the subject! They were just setting themselves up for disaster.

"Stop them!" Aro heard my words, but it was too late. I felt an immense power surging through me. Opal and Sapphire slumped to the floor, and Jason ran over to them, guarding them from the Volturi.

"Wait- what do I do?" I asked Jason. The guards were entreating around us, obviously trying to block us in.

"You have everyone's powers times fifty! Make a fire tornado, I don't know!" He shouted, placing a kick at someone's head as they got closer. I bit my lip, sending a wave of wind at the wall of vampires, in an attempt to knock them over.

_**Conquer Aro. They'll be forced to forfeit.**_ I heard someone think, so I just blew a wave of fire at the army of vampires approaching, shooting them off their feet with Opal's telepathy. Aro was behind them all, standing with two other vampires. Now or never, I supposed. I ran at them. They never saw me coming. I sent a blast of psychic energy at him, knocking him off his feet. Vines shot out of the floor, binding all three of them. I turned to the advancing army, who were frozen with fear. It wasn't even like I did very much...

"Halt, or I won't hesitate to kill them." I was suprised my voice wasn't as shaky as I was. Carlisle took charge, directing them away from the throne room if they wanted to live. Everyone immediately departed.

"Well thanks for leaving us here!" One of the other guys I had tied up said, and Aro glared at him.

"Be quiet Marcus." He sighed, and I untied them, now that they were dramatically out numbered. Alice went around pulling loose members (Jane was one) out of hiding spots they were planning to ambush us from.

"So, Aro. I'm disappointed you resorted to kidnapping. Really, where is your dignity?" Carlisle questioned him, and Aro sighed.

"You know how I am Carlisle. Always one for a challenge." I felt myself get dramatically weaker, and Opal and Saph got to their feet.

"What, they're still alive?" Opal asked in disbelief.

"Shut up Opal." Saph elbowed her.

"Well, I think we need to do one of two things." Carlisle reasoned.

"One, go public about this little incident, or two, make sure it never happens again." Aro narrowed his eyes at Carlisle.

"You wouldn't." Carlisle grinned.

"Ah, but, it would be for the _sake of vampiric kind_." He mocked Aro's earlier reasoning.

"Fine. You win. We'll stay away from your coven's business in the future." Everyone relaxed. The battle was over.

After a while of last minute begging for us to join the Volturi, we left the building. The sun was just setting, all sorts of different colors splayed across the sky. As we walked, Jason giving Opal a piggyback ride, talking to her mentally, Edward and Carlisle were chatting in low voices, and I was on my own. Saph had taken it upon herself to chew Noah out. Opal had already had her fill of yelling, right after she crashed his skull into the ceiling a few times. The ceiling of the castle. Carlisle made her apologize to Aro for breaking a rafter. Suddenly everything was fine between us now, as if he hadn't been planning to steal our lives away hours ago.

I didn't even know why Noah was walking with us. He could just go back to his lovely little family in there, make another girl fall in love with him and then stab her in the back. Opal slid off Jason's back.

"You..._love_...him?" I glared.

"What happened to that 'stay out of my mind' thing?" She shook her head, serious.

"He's just like Kade." We had stopped walking, Carlisle and Edward looking on, not sure what to do.

"I am not like that worm!" Noah argued, and Opal's temper flared.

"Oh really? You made her _love_ you-"

"Opal!" I cried, mortified.

"-and betrayed her." Noah stood stock still for a moment, looking at me.

"You know I never meant to hurt you." The sick thing was, I could tell he meant it.

"I know. But as you tried so much not to hurt me, you ended up hurting my sisters. And that's the same thing." Opal opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it, pulling everyone away, leaving us alone as they went to look at street vendors.

"I didn't tell him about the _Unidos_ spell. I _suggested_ it to you." He murmured, stepping closer.

"I know, but...I can't be involved with someone who almost got my family killed." He looked down at the ground.

"I guess I know that." He looked guilty, so much so that I almost changed my mind. Kade never looked guilty, not for a second.

"I do want to know one thing. Why are you still pretending? You got an in, you got your information. Why still pretend you like me?" He looked back up at me, and his eyes were full of confusion.

"Pretend?" Then he looked at me full on, his eyes making me freeze on the spot. "In the beginning I was pretending. But then, I stopped. I really do like-...love you Em." I shook my head.

"No. No you don't." There was no way he loved me. But somewhere, in the back of my mind, part of me believed him. And that part of me felt the same about him.

"I do. And I'm going to prove it." I knew he was going to kiss me. I tried to make myself pull away as he leaned down to me, taking my face in his hands. But the terrible part was, that even though he was a lying, conniving snake of a man, I wanted it. I didn't move as his lips touched mine, until I was kissing him back. And quite honestly, he meant it. A girl can tell these things. The feeling of pure, endless joy I was getting in the pit of my stomach was something I never achieved with Kade.

"Aw, crud, she forgave him." I heard Opal whine, and we pulled apart. I blushed.

"Slap him! Slap him!" Saph chanted, Opal joining in. He laughed, shaking his head.

"We'll bring the car around." Jason offered, pulling a reluctant Opal with him.

"So?" Noah asked.

"So, I think Opal's right." I sighed.

"You're going to slap me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. Aw crud, I forgave you." He laughed as he hugged me, and the car pulled up. I looked into the sunset, watching the clouds, full of color, arise. Just like my life, the old, bland Emerald was gone, and suddenly, my life was full of color. Full of the color I saw in Noah's eyes.


	7. Epilouge

Opal's POV

Two days later, Saph had decided that she would force Bella, Edward, Em, Saph and I to all sit down and have a 'peace picnic'. I told her she was an idiot, but somehow (involving Jason's persuasion) I ended up sitting at a table, Sapphire asking me what my problem with Bella and Edward was.

"For god sake. Everyone knows what my problem is. Bella left us. Edward made her leave us." I was annoyed. They were all focusing on me, while Em just sat and ate random fruits. I hated this!

"I didn't make anyone do anything." Edward argued, and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, I don't even have the big issue with you." I crossed my arms, and Saph sighed.

"You are very uncooperative, just so you know." She told me, and Em laughed.

"To err is human, to forgive, divine." She offered, and I whacked Saph upside the head.

"Okay. Bella, what do you have to say about that?" She asked, ignoring me.

"I just have to say that I'm nineteen. I didn't plan on having kids, and all I wanted was my reason for living back." She glanced at Edward.

"Barf." I muttered, earning a glare from Saph. "Okay, okay. Whatever. Even shmeven. Can I go now?" She rolled her eyes.

"Please Opal?"

"Fine. The reason I hate you, Bella, is because you ran from your responsibilities, and that affected my life, my sisters, Jasmine, Benje, and Jason's lives. I don't find that amusing." Bella grimaced.

"Okay, and I understand that. But what you don't understand...what if Jason got you pregnant and then left you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I would suck it up and move on." Em laughed.

"No you wouldn't, you'd go find him." I glared at her.

"Thank you, Em." Bella said, looking at me. "I know I made a mistake, and I'm not asking you to pretend I didn't. I'm asking you to understand I know I was wrong, and that I'm _sorry_." I sighed. If I didn't forgive her know, she was in danger of proving me wrong.

"Okay. I forgive you." I sighed as Saph and Em applauded. I turned to Saph. "But I won't be so forgiving with you." She laughed, getting up and running. I pounded after her, a smile on my face. We were back to normal. And even a little better than normal. I had my sisters, and my family, and now I even had my parents. No matter how reluctant I was to admit it, I was pretty lucky. My sisters were my best friends, and I knew that even through all of this, we'd stay sisters. And I had a feeling that's the way it was supposed to be.


End file.
